A Monster's Heart
by trancy765
Summary: Takes Place in the early twentieth century. Edward escapes his parent's home and marries the love of his life. However, news of an unplanned pregnancy, an influenza epidemic, and a war threatens to shake the comfortable life he now leads. Edward/Hermione
1. The Demon

**This is a really rough beginning, and it gives a peek at what is to come in the story. I know this chapter is short, but I promise I will update on this story as soon as possible if I get enough requests.**

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After checking the locks several times, the old lonely church Pastor made his way back inside. Even in the dead of night, he took his job in securing the church very seriously. He was proud of the distinguished glass paintings on its many high windows. However, his favorite artifact happened to be the statue of the blessed Virgin carrying the infant Christ in her arms. He took pride in the statue, mainly because he was the one who had bought it for the church quite a while ago.

Once the Pastor was entirely sure of the locks security, he opened the back door to the church and slipped through it quietly. A sudden surge in wanting to see his beloved statue had stricken him. He smiled reminiscently at the pews and candles as he passed it by slowly; it is such a shame that this beautiful church will be torn down in a week.

Sighing to himself, he went over to the section where the statue was located, which happened to be in between two large glass paintings: the Blessed Virgin and Christ on the crucifix. He walked directly over to the statue, not even bothering to check if anyone else was in here. The lonely Pastor's footsteps echoed along with his movements throughout the empty church. He then abruptly came to a stop, smiling vaguely at the figure before him.

In plain marble stone, was the statue of a woman carrying her child. From outside the glass windows, the moonlight shined into the church beautifully and reflected off of the marble figure, making it seem positively haunting. The Pastor felt his heart swell with sadness as he remembered it would be one of the last times he would ever see such a marvel in this church. Wanting to get a better look, he pulled his candle closer to the statue, but suddenly gasped as the sight of another, human sized, marble statue met his gaze.

The Pastor blinked his eyes twice and realized that this life sized statue was actually _a young man_. He stepped away from the youth with his eyebrows raised up in fear. The young man had his back to the Pastor, and from this, he noticed that he was rather tall and fully clothed in a black suit; his vivid bronze hair was combed neatly to a side, his skin matched the pale color of the very statue he was scrutinizing.

"Young man," the Pastor said quietly, "how did you get in here?"

The youth did not answer his question. Instead, he kept his eyes glued on the statue before him.

"There are locks all over this place, again I must ask, how did you—"

"It's quite a phenomenon isn't it?" the youth's voice rang in a velvety tone. "A child can always love their mother, but with the father, would it be the same?"

The Pastor was completely surprised by this young man's question. It was a very strange one indeed.

"I do not understand," he said.

"Of course you wouldn't," the young man replied. "It was more of a question to myself. I was merely wondering if a child could ever love their father..even if he was… Well that doesn't matter much now does it? It's not like it will ever grow up to know me… I am sorry for the inconvenience I have caused you; you accidentally left your back door open and I thought it appropriate to have a sort of midnight prayer."

Now, the Pastor was very angry. He knew for a fact that he had locked the back door after he had entered through it. There was no way this youth could have gone through the door without his knowing, unless of course he had some super human speed, which was preposterous.

"Listen here m'boy," he said, "I don't tolerate people who sneak into this lovely church. Also, I would prefer that you don't speak to me with your back turned."

Slowly, the young man turned to face the Pastor. Instantly, he gasped and nearly dropped the candle which he held onto the floor. The source of his fright was the youth's blazing crimson eyes, and from the reflection of the candlelight, they almost looked as if they were on fire…

Immediately, the Pastor began to cross himself. The youth chuckled from his silly movements.

"I am not thirsty," he simply said. "And don't try to lie to me, I know that you have no wife .."

But as the last word escaped the young man's lips, he froze, seemingly from the affect of him saying the word 'wife'. A look of extreme sadness flickered through his pale porcelain face. However, the Pastor did not notice any of this; he was more concerned with the fact that this man knew what he thought before he even spoke the words.

"Leave," he managed to choke out.

The young man frowned and then shook his head. "I shall no longer plague you, but my dear friend; there are some raunchy teenagers that are going to try to come through the back door. I suggest that you check to see if it is locked; I wouldn't want the charity money to go to waste."

The Pastor opened his mouth to say something, but once more, the youth already knew what he was going to say.

"I am not a demon," he whispered. "But I must say you are only a margin away from guessing what I am. On that note, I must bid you goodbye."

Once more, the Pastor blinked in confusion, and saw to his surprise that the young man had left. He quickly ignored the curiosity running through his body and ran towards the back door. Even though the demon was obviously untrustworthy, he did not want the charity money to go to waste either.

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**Please review! I promise to make the next chapter longer and show more in detail what has happened before this point. **


	2. Children and Surprises

**I have to give a big thanks to keelhaulrose for checking over this chapter for me, you have really been a big help^^**

**There are some Yiddish terms in this chapter, so in order to avoid any confusion I'll tell you what they mean**

**Zadie- Grandfather**

**Bubbie- Grandmother**

**As promised, this chapter is much longer than the first, so enjoy it well and leave a review once you're done reading**

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**July 30, 1918 Boston, Massachusetts**

From afar, the middle aged shopkeeper noticed that it was near nightfall once more. He wiped his forehead and looked to see if anyone was still poking around in his store. Slowly, he crept away from behind the counter and checked for any potential customers. After realizing that there was no one in here besides himself, he frowned and turned to lock the shop's door.

**'**_Another dull day_**,'** he thought ruefully to himself. In the last few months he realized, for some strange reason, his usual amount of customers have thinned to a small margin. _'It seems as if people are more interested in only buying the necessities rather than fancy artifacts. Of course, there was the fact that the country was in the midst of a war, but that didn't stop people from visiting here before_.'

Shaking his head slowly, he locked the door and peered out the window in order to view the beautiful streets of Boston. He smiled to himself as he noticed that the cobblestones were tinged with a golden reflection, its main source coming from the setting sun. Sighing to himself, the shopkeeper was ready to pull the blinds over the window; however a curious sight kept him from doing so.

Clearly, outside there was a young man running up the streets, seemingly trying to reach this store before it officially closed for the day. The shopkeeper laughed and unlocked his door happily; at least he would get one customer for today. After doing this, he walked up to the counter and took his place next to the cash register.

Smiling broadly, he was relieved to hear the sound of the store's door opening. In came the young man, looking very tired, but pleased with himself. From here, the Shopkeeper noticed that the lad looked quite strange. His short bronze hair was ruffled messily -whether it was deliberate or accidental, he did not know- and his clothes were torn and ragged, as if he had just come back from a long day of hard labor. The young man was rather tall and skinny, with a good looking face that could make any of the silly young girls in this town swoon.

"I hope I did not catch you at a bad time," he croaked out.

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow and replied, "Of course not; all customers are welcome here, and however from the sound of it, you seem to have had a rough day."

"Just a long day at work," he said.

"I see. Is there anything of particular interest to your taste in my lovely store?"

The young man smiled and said rather courteously, "Not for me sir, but for my wife."

The Shopkeeper's eyebrow rose even higher. This young man was married? Out of curiosity, he moved his eyes in order to see if the lad had a wedding ring on his finger; surprisingly enough, he actually did have one.

"Ah, for a lady," he replied, looking back up at his customer. "Well I do have some fancy trinkets around this place. Perhaps maybe a…"

"I'm sorry," the young man said quickly. "I already have something in mind for her which I know you probably still possess. It used to be on the display window, but I noticed that it's not there anymore. I hope you didn't sell it."

The shopkeeper laughed at the lad's choice of words, he highly doubted that whatever he wanted had been sold.

"I'm sure I still have it," he said, laughing even more now. "You see, business hasn't been booming lately; I have been putting up a variety of odd objects in the display window and trying to see if any of them would catch the interest of a customer."

"That is a good way of advertising," the young man said with a bright smile, "you surely caught my attention."

"Just tell me what you seek and I shall check and see if I currently posses it," the Shopkeeper said.

The young man's smile lessened slightly to a grin. "A silver necklace; I am sure it is the only one you have."

Vaguely, the Shopkeeper recalled owning the necklace in which this lad was obviously so content on purchasing. It was a curious necklace, with a silver chain and a silver crescent moon charm.

"Yes, the necklace," he said. "I believe I placed it back up on one of the shelves. However, it is quite expensive; are you sure that this is the exact necklace you want?"

"I wish for nothing more," the young man said.

"If you say so," he replied.

Quickly, the middle aged shopkeeper left the counter once more and made his way to the precise shelf where the necklace was located. He remembered that the little brown box which contained the silver beauty was placed directly on the second shelf, meaning that he would not have to take out his ladder in order to reach it.

"Would you like me to help?" the young man asked kindly.

"Oh no I am fine," the shopkeeper said. "It's only a little high up; there is no need for you to intervene."

With one swift movement, the shopkeeper grabbed the little brown box from the second shelf and then made his way back to the counter. He easily removed the box from its lid and showed the contents to his young customer.

The lad was quite pleased with what he was viewing. Inside the little brown box was the very silver necklace he was planning on giving his wife. Knowing her eccentric taste, she would adore the gift, especially since he was surprising her with it on a very exceptional day for the two of them. He slowly reached over and lifted the necklace from its container. While running the chain through his long slender fingers, he could imagine the look of happiness she would have on her face once he presented this to her.

"It's perfect," he said.

The shopkeeper studied the young man's expression carefully. His vivid green eyes were wide with excitement; his face flushed with extraordinary bliss. He looked as if he was the happiest man in the world. Somehow, the shopkeeper found himself envying this youth. As most of the people he knew were going through tough periods because of the war, he had always found himself surrounded by sadness…

Suddenly a new thought had occurred to him. "If you do not mind me asking, why aren't you currently in Europe, fighting for your country's behalf?" he asked.

The young man broke his eye contact away from the necklace in order to look at the shopkeeper more thoroughly. He smiled, knowing full and well that this was going to be asked, as he has been asked this question many times before.

"There was a time in which I hoped in fighting for my country, thinking that it was the only way I could ever achieve true happiness," he replied. "Now that dream is more of a nightmare; something that I would dread, rather than want."

The shopkeeper was now very baffled. Sensing his confusion, the young man added on with a chuckle, "I am only seventeen."

The shopkeeper laughed. "I assumed that you were a few years older! Seventeen and married; Tell me, is your—"

"Yes she is seventeen as well," he answered.

"Well, well what a young couple," the Shopkeeper said brightly.

"When you find the right person, why wait?" he said happily. "I think I should be paying for this now; it is almost completely dark outside. I don't want to keep my wife waiting. I am a tad bit late and I don't think she will be happy..."

"Of course, of course," the Shopkeeper said airily. "That would be about-"

"I know the price," the young man said. He reached in one of his pockets from his raggedy pants and pulled out a fistful of coins and paper money. Without even bothering to count how much he was giving, he placed the money on the counter. "It's exactly the amount for the necklace, go on, count it."

Reluctantly, the Shopkeeper separated the dollar bills from the coins and began counting it slowly. As he did this, the young man placed the silver necklace back in its little brown box and held it tightly in his hand. After counting the money twice, the shopkeeper came to the conclusion that this lad was telling the truth: He had given him the exact price for the necklace.

"Well," he said while carefully putting the money in his cash register, "it seems as if you are free to go."

The young man smiled politely and said, "I have to say, it was a pleasure doing business with you sir."

"Same here," he replied. "Will you do me a favor before you leave? If it is not too much to ask, can you please lock my shop's door before exiting yourself?"

"Not a problem," the young man said courteously.

On that note, he turned and walked towards the exit quietly. Once again, the shopkeeper found himself scrutinizing the young man. He silently watched him click the lock of the store's door before leaving through it quickly. Once the young man was completely gone, the shopkeeper made his way to the window and pulled down the blinds for good; silently, he thought to himself that the day was not such a waste after all.

As the shopkeeper closed down his tiny store, and the sun threatened to vanish for the night, the young man strode on throughout Boston while placing the little brown box securely in his pocket. He was now a good walk away from the small area in which he resided in with his wonderful wife. After passing through kosher meat markets, and the Vilna Shul synagogue, he made his way to the urban street full of buildings and shops. Oddly enough, he was surprised to see that there were children out at this time, playing in front of their homes and running around on the cobblestone pavements. Smiling to himself, he realized that it was still the Summer time, meaning that they had a good few months before school started.

"David, you twit!" yelled one little girl with short brown hair. "You lost the game!"

"No I didn't Sara!" the young blond haired boy answered. "I didn't! I didn't!" He then ran up to the girl and knocked her down onto the floor.

Frowning to himself, the young man made his way towards the two children in order to help the little girl, who at this time was crying.

"I'm-telling-mama," she said through her tears while the young man picked her back up on her feet.

"That's how we play the game!" her blond brother snarled.

"Don't be so rough on her," the young man said gently. "You made your sister cry."

"Thank you Mr. Masen," she said to him, rubbing her tears away with her fists.

"You make me sound old," he replied with a chuckle. "I told you that it was alright for you to call me-"

He then was interrupted by a loud bang. Turning to see where the commotion had come from, he realized that the two children's mother had arrived by slamming the door to her building open. She had a stern look on her kind face, which, with a pang in his heart, reminded the young man of the very same look his own mother used to bestow upon him.

"David, apologize to your sister and to Mr. Masen," she said threateningly while holding her son tightly by the arm.

"Ow, Mama -stop! I'll do it! I'm sorry that you're such a cry baby-"

"David!" his mother shouted warningly.

"I mean," he quickly rephrased, "I'm sorry that I pushed you…and I'm sorry that we bothered you Mr. Masen."

"It's okay," the young man replied.

"No _it is _not," the little girl said.

"Sara, David, get inside before I tell Zadie what you two have been up to," their mother said.

The young man mused over how quickly the children obeyed their mother from these words. They first each exchanged a look of horror before bolting straight into their home.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience Edward," she said to the young man once her children were safely inside. "They have been acting out ever since their father has been drafted into the war; they miss him very much."

"I understand," Edward said quietly.

"I suppose you want to get home now," she said. "I'll go inside and have a talk with the kids." And on that note, she made her way back into the building in order to scold her children some more.

Edward waited until she completely left before walking a few more blocks down. He abruptly made a stop in front of an old, tiny building with cracked and dirty bricks. This was the lovely place in which he called home. Strange enough, it was the home in which he was the happiest. While he pulled out his key and opened the front door, he frowned at the remembrance of his old home: the Masen Mansion in Chicago, Illinois. It was strange how these two homes were in such great contrast to each other and how he preferred this one over the beautiful marble white mansion.

He had never been truly happy in Chicago. Everything, more or less, was under the control of his father and his mother did not seem to mind. There were points in his life where he just felt sick and tired of being his father's puppet, but he never had any reason for leaving, that is until he met his wife for the first time…

Edward could still remember that particular day perfectly, as it had only happened a little over a month ago. It was on the night of his seventeenth birthday and his father had thrown him a 'birthday' party. He wasn't surprised when he realized that all of the guests for the party happened to be his father's colleagues and business partners; he wanted to make a good name for himself. Also, he used it as a golden opportunity to show off his new protégée and the future successor to his law firm: his son. Edward was tired of being pulled back and forth throughout the party and being forced to speak politely with some of the most disgusting men he had ever come across. In order to get away he had sneaked off into his family's garden. He was surprised to see that he was not the only one there.

A young girl with long brown curls was sitting on the only bench in the garden, her face buried in her hands. Her hair had been tied loosely, and she wore a pretty pink gown which flowed down onto the grassy floor. Being the gentlemen that he was, Edward went up to her and asked what was wrong. When she lifted her face, he found himself lost for words; she was definitely the most beautiful creature he had ever come across.

Edward laughed as he remembered how she had yelled at him and how much of a blubbering idiot he must have sounded like to her. He was lost in her light amber eyes which, sadly enough, were full of tears. She refused to tell him what was wrong, but he was able to figure it out himself. There was a clear bruise on her wrist; obviously, someone had caused her harm. Of course at that time they barely knew each other, which was why she was so unkind to him during their first encounter. Yet, fate would have them meeting again within a few days, and from that second encounter, many more times afterward.

Once he gained her confidence, he slowly learned from her that she was an orphan who moved here from England with her guardian. He was also able to learn her name for the first time, Hermione; a beautiful name indeed. At that point, he couldn't deny the fact that he was falling in love with her. When he told her this, she admitted that she had fallen in love with him as well, but there was still a problem. For the very first time, she began to confess everything that she had kept hidden from him.

Edward was horrified by Hermione's first confession and very confused by her second confession. She immediately told him that she was betrothed to one of his father's disgusting colleagues, Roland Jameson, a middle aged entrepreneur with no hygienic qualities. She was being forced to marry him by her guardian in order to acquire wealth and property. Edward was very angry when he learned from her that Jameson was the one who hurt her on the night they first met, but Hermione had begged him not to do anything stupid because he did not know the entire story yet. Although this news was quite shocking to him, it was nothing compared to the other bit of news she was about to give him. With a nervous stutter, she had confessed that Jameson was a wizard, and that she and her guardian were witches.

At first, he thought it was a joke, but when he saw the tears in Hermione's eyes, he knew that she was not lying. She proved her magical abilities by using her thin wooden wand to set a book on fire. Afterwards, she diminished the fire and awaited his reaction, which of course was a shocked one. However, Edward knew that it didn't make him love her any less, so he listened contently to her description of the magical world and how it was hidden from 'Muggles' such as himself. After she had spent nearly two hours describing magical creatures, various magical places and governments, and magical laws, he had gained one important piece of information; in the magical world, people who were seventeen were considered as legal adults. Edward and Hermione were both seventeen and of age regarding wizarding standards. Using this as a catalyst, he proposed to her right then and suggested that they get married on that night.

It was perfect for the both of them; they were unconditionally in love with each other and being together would solve both of their problems: Edward could finally escape the clutches of his controlling father and Hermione would not be forced into marrying someone she did not love. What surprised him the most was that she did not hesitate in saying yes to his proposal; within an hour, Edward had sent a farewell letter to his mother, married Hermione in a little chapel located near the magical village in Illinois, and set off to Boston with his new bride in order to officially begin their life together.

Now, Edward found himself in front of the entrance to the apartment in which he shared with Hermione. While he was having his pleasant memories of his wife, he made his way through the first floor of the building and reached his home with the golden number nine nailed to the door. Without any haste, he opened it quickly and entered inside the living room. It was not anything like the living room back at his old home in Chicago; this living room was much smaller with plain white walls, two simple couches, and a glass table in between.

Surprisingly, once he reached inside, the first person Edward was greeted by was not his wife, but a little blond headed three year old girl.

"Oooh Eddy," she said excitedly. "Oooh I made you something!"

Edward chuckled and bent over to pat her on the head. "Is that right Rosa? I would love to see what you have made me."

"Yay!" she squealed. "I will go and get it!" She toddled over to the kitchen, which was full of noises caused by clattering dishes.

Edward deeply wondered why the little girl, Rosa, was even here to begin with. He knew that she and her sister lived two doors down in the building…

Silently, he made his way towards the open kitchen door and leaned against the frame. He saw that Rosa was trying to reach the table in the middle. She balanced herself on her tiptoes, fell on her bottom, and tried to reach the table once again.

"Rosa, no!" her sister, who was helping Hermione clean the dishes near the sink, scolded. She was a lanky little ten year old with thick long black hair which fell down to her waist.

"But I have to, Vashti," Rosa whined. "I gotta give Eddy his present!"

"You have to give--oh!"

Vashti turned and saw Edward against the door's frame. She then nudged Hermione, who looked as if she was lost in deep thought. Slowly, she turned her direction and followed Vashti's gaze. Her amber eyes met with his; he could tell exactly what she was thinking, something she always thinks about often, that she loves him.

Without even saying anything, Edward pulled himself away from the door and walked up towards Hermione. He threw his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a passionate kiss, completely forgetting that there were children around.

"I got your present!" Rosa shouted happily. She then pulled herself over to Edward and tugged on his leg. "It's pretty, right?"

Edward broke away from the kiss and smiled down at her. She barely reached up past his knee.

"Here take it," she said, pushing a little scrap of paper into his outstretched hand.

"Thank you," he said brightly. Edward peered down at the paper and saw to his surprise that she had drawn a funny little picture of him. It was an oddly shaped version of him and he laughed when he noticed that she had colored his hair red.

"I love it," he said, smiling broadly at the little girl.

"Goody!" she said. "I _triiied _all day looking for your hair color but it was haaaard!"

"I'm sorry that my hair has caused you so much trouble," Edward said with a chuckle.

"I think maybe we should leave Rosa," her sister Vashti suddenly said. "Bubbie will get upset if we're not back; we're already late enough as it is."

"Oh no but I don't wanna go yet," she said with a pout.

"Bubbie is going to be sad; do you want to make her sad?" Vashti asked.

"No," Rosa said solemnly.

Vashti then turned to take her sister's hand.

"It's okay, I can speak to your grandmother for you," Hermione said kindly. "You might as well stay over; you two have been here all day."

"Yeah, what Her-my-oh-nee says," Rosa piped up.

"No we have to go now c'mon," Vashti said with a scowl. "Bubbie will be lonely." She tugged on her little sister's hand and led her out of the kitchen.

Before they even got a chance to reach the exit, Hermione dried her soaked hands and picked up a plate full of food off of the counter. She then reached the girls quickly and shoved the plate into Vashti's hands.

"It's something for all of your help," she said.

Vashti opened her mouth, obviously to protest, but Hermione interrupted her.

"I want you to have it," she said. "It's the least I can do."

"But we didn't do much to help," Vashti said.

"Nonsense, you two did just enough," Hermione said.

Vashti looked down at the plate of food and asked, "Is there meat in this?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "And don't worry, it's kosher."

Vashti smiled. "Thank you."

Hermione leaned down and hugged both girls.

Once she relinquished her embrace on the two of them, Rosa beamed and said, "I hope Eddy will like the surpwise!"

"Not so loud," Vashti hissed.

"Ooops," Rosa said with a giggle.

Hermione smiled vaguely. "I hope he enjoys both of the surprises."

Vashti gave a nervous glance at the entrance into the kitchen, and then whispered, "Do you think he will like the food I cooked?"

"I'm sure he will love it," Hermione said reassuringly.

She then bit her bottom lip and tugged on her sister's hand once again. "Let's go now Rosa."

"Okie dokie," Rosa said sadly.

Vashti turned and waved goodbye before pushing her little sister out of the door. She then clutched the plate of food in her tiny hand and made her way into the hall. Hermione walked up to the entrance and watched Vashti and Rosa leave. Once they were safely inside their own home, she shut the door and locked it securely.

Hermione stood rooted on the spot and found that her hands had rested on her stomach. She had no idea how she was going to tell him.

'_Maybe it will be just better to say it head-on_,' she thought to herself. '_Edward I'm pregnant; …no saying it like that will make him overreact, but then again, how else can I tell him_?'

"Hermione, are you still there?" Edward's voice called from the kitchen.

"I'm coming," she answered. "I just wanted to wait until the girls reached their home."

Fretfully, Hermione made her way back into the kitchen. Edward, who was sitting in front of the kitchen table, had already finished eating all of Vashti's cooking.

"Well that was quick," she said, her voice showing a sense of amusement.

"You try working for eight hours straight without any real lunch breaks and not feel hungry afterwards," he said with a laugh.

Hermione frowned slightly; he already worked hard enough as it is just to support the both of them. She knew that he would kill himself from overwork once he found out that she was expecting.

Edward noticed the worried look on his wife's beautiful face. There was a hint of sadness lost in her amber eyes. Growing concerned, he asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "It's just that…Vashti made you the food, she's worried about whether you liked it or not."

"She made this?" he said in awe. "It was absolutely delicious. I didn't know a ten year old could cook so perfectly."

"Well, you know that her mother is still barred in Germany," Hermione said, trying to keep her husband's attention on the neighbors. "And her father is in the war fighting, so she does all she can to help her grandmother and little sister. I suppose cooking is one of the things she does for them."

"Why were they even here?" Edward asked. "I've never seen them stay so long."

Hermione's nostrils flared as she remembered that he did come home very late. "They stayed because a certain husband of mine took ages in arriving," she snapped. "Where were you all this time?"

Edward slowly got up out of his seat and walked up to Hermione. He placed his arms around her waist and whispered, "Buying you a gift."

"A gift," she said coolly.

"Yes, a gift," he replied, "something for our one month anniversary."

All the anger Hermione had for him melted away. She smiled happily.

"You remembered!" she shouted.

"Of course I remembered," Edward said simply. "Why would I forget such an important day?"

"It's just that you worked for so long and you took even longer coming home-"

"And all the time I was away from you, our one month anniversary was all I could ever think about," he said softly.

"What did you get me?" Hermione asked him teasingly.

"This," he whispered. He leaned in and kissed her passionately.

Hermione responded enthusiastically. She kissed him back just as fervently. As he moved his lips over hers, he reached in the depths of his pockets and pulled out the little brown box. He flicked the lid off with his thumb and let it fall to the floor.

After he broke away from the kiss, Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"You give me that every day," she said, playfully poking at his chest.

"And yet you are not complaining," Edward said with a smirk.

While closing her eyes, Hermione laid her head upon his chest and muttered, "I would never complain."

"That is good to know love," he said quietly. He placed one of his hands in her hair and began to stroke her soft brown curls gently.

Unbeknownst to Hermione, in Edward's other hand was his present for her. He clenched onto it tightly and pulled the necklace out of the box carefully. He then let the box fall to the floor and slowly lifted the necklace with his free hand. Gently, he pressed his lips onto her forehead in order to distract her.

Hermione rejoiced from the feeling of his warm kiss. She pushed her head even harder against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart beat. As she did this, she could feel Edward's hand moving away from her hair. Soon, she felt something slip around her neck. When she tried to see what it was, Edward cupped her face and kissed her deeply. Slowly, all of the doubts Hermione had about Edward's reaction of her pregnancy vanished. She knew that he loved her just as much as she loved him, and whatever problem they would face, together they can conquer it.

Once he relinquished his grip on her, Hermione looked down and fingered the silver necklace clasped around her neck. It was composed of a linked chain and a crescent moon charm. She felt through it thoroughly, not knowing what to say.

"Happy one month anniversary," he said. "On our wedding night, when we were on the train to Boston, all I could see from the window was the crescent moon, glowing bright silver. You were fast asleep in my arms, obviously from being tired after our previous activities." He grinned sheepishly.

"It was the happiest night of my life," Hermione whispered, remembering that it was the same night she became pregnant.

"Every night with you is the happiest night of my life," Edward said just as quietly.

Hermione took in a deep shuddering breath and asked, "How did you pay for this?"

"I've been taking extra hours during work," he answered truthfully.

"But...how?"

"Night shift," he said simply.

"Night shift!" she shouted. "Edward, you work enough as it is on that stupid dock! I don't need my husband being killed because he just wanted to make enough money to buy some necklace! And with the baby coming-"

"I'm sorry, but with the what coming?" Edward said suddenly. "Did you just say…baby?"

Hermione immediately froze. She didn't mean to tell him like this.

"Yes I d-did say t-that," she stuttered while determinately avoiding his eyes. "I'm…er…well…I'm one month pregnant."

"One month pregnant?" he whispered.

"Yes," she answered again, still not looking directly at him.

There was a long and insufferable pause which followed Hermione's reply. Edward was lost in deep thought, apparently thinking of what was the best way to handle the situation.

"Well you have been a bit off," he finally said in a slightly amused tone, "but I had no idea it was because you were pregnant."

Hermione was completely upset and hurt by his light hearted remark. She could feel tears of rage brewing in her eyes; so he thought this was funny?

"How could you be so insensitive?" she said, the tears now falling down her face.

Edward was completely alarmed by this. It always hurt him to see her cry and he never fathomed the thought that he would ever be the reason for her tears. He took her in his arms and apologized.

"I'm sorry love," he said gently. "I did not mean to make you upset."

"No, I am not really upset because of you," she said, burying her face in his chest. "I'm worried about the baby. We barely make it through as it is. You work long hours for only a little bit of money and all I can do to help is by getting paid a small amount by watching some of the kids on the block; even that put together is not enough, especially for the baby. I tried looking for jobs in the magical community, but the answer I keep getting is that they are not hiring witches. If I can't do anything to help, where is the baby going to sleep? What will it eat? How are we going to-?"

Edward gently lifted her face away from his chest and interrupted her by pressing kisses all throughout her face; he was trying to kiss her tears away. She was already thinking like a true mother, and this, if possible, made him love her even more.

Hermione sniffed slightly as he kissed her all over. Once he reached her lips, he kissed her hard; she could taste the salt from her tears on his warm lips.

After he broke the kiss in order to breath, Hermione whispered, "I thought you were the one who was going to do all of the rambling, not me."

"You had more time to think about than I did," Edward said. "How long did you know?"

"Only a couple of days," she replied. "It was around this week that the symptoms began to make itself known. Pregnancy was the last thing on my mind, but after all other possibilities proved false, I used a spell in order to determine if I was expecting…and when the results came out positive, I couldn't help but worry. What if…"

But she could not bring herself to finish the sentence. Edward looked deeply into his wife's gentle brown eyes; he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Hermione," he whispered, "there is no way we will ever give up the baby. I would not allow it."

She frowned. "How could you be so sure?"

"Because I love you and nothing else matters," he said. "We'll find a way."

Hermione lowered her eyes and stared at the floor. She did not want to talk about this anymore. There was too much worry in her heart; further conversing about the matter would only upset her even more. Instead, she decided on changing the subject in order to speak about something more pleasant.

"I got you something for today," she said, her eyes unhurriedly moving their way back onto his. "It is my own gift to you."

Edward furrowed his eyebrows and gave his wife a quizzical look. "You bought me something?"

"Not necessarily," she said. "Just follow me."

Hermione took his hand and led him out of the kitchen slowly. She walked just a little bit further than him while they made their way through the living room. Edward gripped onto her hand tightly and watched her long brown curls bounce off of her back as she led him in front of the bedroom door. He couldn't help but grin a bit mischievously.

She stopped abruptly in front of the door and opened it swiftly. She then turned and rolled her eyes at the obvious smile plastered on Edward's face.

"That is not your present," Hermione snapped. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

His smile lessened. "Any man would misconstrue it as such."

Hermione shook her head impatiently as she pushed through the door to the bedroom. Edward stepped inside with her. It was a tiny room, only composed of a double bed and a small dresser located in between the closet and the bathroom door. Usually, on the opposite end of the room, there is a large empty space near the window; however, Edward found himself confused by the sight of a massive object occupying the empty space. He could not see what it was, mainly because it was too dark in the room.

Hermione walked towards the object. She turned and beckoned Edward to join her. Silently, he made his way towards the massive thing. Once he was close enough to Hermione, he could see exactly what the object was. He smiled brightly; she remembered his story of how we would kill time when he had nothing better to do.

"This used to belong to Vashti and Rosa's grandmother," Hermione whispered. "I told her that I would pay her for it, but all she asked in return was that I watch over the girls for this week. Usually, they would leave before you came home, but Vashti wanted to stay and do the cooking for today. When it became obvious that you were going to be late, the girls decided not to leave until you officially arrived."

"How did you move this here from their apartment?" he asked.

"Magic," she replied. "I told their grandmother that I had a friend help me move it."

"Figures you would use magic," Edward said quietly, his eyes directly on the magnificent object. In front of it, there was a small stooped wooden bench. He sat himself down on it; Hermione joined Edward by seating herself next to him.

The piano was smaller than the old one he used to play back in Chicago. It was much more bulky, being composed of a wooden box-like exterior, whereas his old piano was much sleeker with a black outer surface.

"I know it is not as grand as the piano you had before," Hermione said. She looked a bit nervous, as if she was worried over whether he would like it at all.

"It's perfect," Edward said truthfully.

Hermione smiled lovingly. She placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She could feel a pair of lips brush against her forehead.

"I love you," Edward breathed against her.

"I love you too," she whispered.

Edward smiled and turned his attention to the piano in front of him. He eagerly traced the black and white keys with a great sense of care. He rejoiced over the familiar rush of adrenaline as he continued to stroke the keys tenderly; his fingertips began to pulsate from excitement.

Hermione opened her eyes and watched her husband curiously. She moved her head away from his shoulder in order to see why he hasn't begun playing the piano yet. She scrutinized the happy look on his face thoroughly. It was this particular expression which would have revealed his young age to any who did not know him; his boyish features shined with a sense of youth which had been lost due to long hours of hard labor.

Absentmindedly, Hermione placed one of her hands onto her stomach. She was silently hoping that the baby would have the same facial features as its father…

Edward stopped tracing the piano keys. He almost knew exactly what Hermione was thinking, and he couldn't help but feel his heart warm from her thoughts. He looked away from the piano and observed his wife's movements. He was silently hoping that the baby would have the same magical aura as its mother…

Hermione quietly pushed her hand away from her stomach. She tried to fight back the tears which were brewing in her eyes once again. All of the worries she had about the baby were creeping back into her mind. Edward, whose focus was now on his wife, sensed this directly. He tucked his hand under her chin and lifted her face so he could gaze into her amber eyes. Hermione blinked several times, trying to keep the tears from falling. She looked back into his gentle green eyes; they were etched with unconditional love for her.

"Why aren't you playing anything?" she asked him in a shaky voice.

"Do you want me to play something?" he whispered.

"I have never heard you play the piano before," Hermione said, trying to keep her voice under control.

"If you really wish to hear me play, then you must do something for me in return," Edward said.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And what would exactly would you want in return?"

"A simple promise," he said.

"A promise?" she repeated.

"Yes," he replied. "A promise that at least for tonight, you won't worry too much."

Hermione bit her bottom lip from his request. She knew that her constant worrying was causing him pain.

"I can try," she said quietly.

"Trying is good enough for me," he said with a smile.

Before moving his hand away from under her chin, Edward pressed his lips gently against hers. Once he broke away from the kiss, he looked back down at the piano in front of him. Slowly, he placed both of his hands back onto its keys. He closed his eyes and let his fingers play a soft melody mainly enthused by his love for Hermione and the baby. With each tune he struck, a new wave of inspiration surged through his body like a strong bolt of electricity.

Hermione rested her head on Edward's shoulder once again. She watched his fingers dance over the piano keys with extreme passion. Trying her best not to worry, she poured her entire focus on the music he was creating. Smiling to herself, she realized that it was a good distraction; Edward played the piano beautifully. While pondering different ways to thank Vashti and Rosa's grandmother, Hermione couldn't help but think that everything at the moment was completely perfect. Quietly, she began to wonder how long this perfection would last…


End file.
